PITTSFIELD -- The prospects for many businesses here are soaring thanks to recent investments at the Pittsfield Municipal Airport.

Recently, town officials received a $91,000 grant to design the reconstruction of the airport's apron -- the area used for loading, unloading or maintaining aircraft, which is adjacent to the plane hangars. The apron was built in the 1940s. Having a new and expanded apron will allow more growth at the town airport, which has been attracting new businesses and more flights over the years. Between 2009 and 2013, $1.4 million will be spent to reconstruct the apron, if state funding is available.

All of this follows millions more in state and federal grants that was tapped four years ago to construct a new 4,000-foot runway. Pittsfield town officials say the big investments in the airport are key because the town airport has become a draw for area businesses and homeowners who like to fly in and out of town in small aircraft.

"The airport is really an economic engine for the community," said Kathryn Ruth, Pittsfield's town manager. "We're strategically located along I-95 with a working airport."

A town-hired consultant estimated the municipal airport brings in more than $5 million a year for the community. The airport has more than 35 aircraft based there and it can accommodate helicopters and gliders. It has more than 10,300 flights a year.

Built on what was the town's horse racetrack in the late 1800s, the airport got its first gravel runway in the 1930s. Now, the Pittsfield Municipal Airport is attractive to business executives who travel around the country and the world frequently, town officials say. Private pilots can fly in for recreation and business, while there are also businesses that offer charter flights, flight instruction and aircraft storage.

The town contracts with a fixed-based operator, Curtis Air, which manages the airport and offers flight instruction and scenic rides. Also based at the airport are several businesses, including the Maine Flight and Central Maine Skydiving.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of the airport is Pittsfield-based construction company Cianbro, which has its own plane hangar at the airport for a King Air 250 and two full-time pilots.

Having the airport close by allows Cianbro to fly company executives to project sites and company offices throughout the East Coast and bring engineers back and forth during the week.

"The world's becoming a small place. Commercial travel has its challenges and it's very time-consuming," said Andi Vigue, president of Cianbro. The Pittsfield airport makes business travel "very convenient and very efficient. Having the airport is very, very convenient for our company."

Mark Cochrane, a pilot for Cianbro, describes the company plane at the airport as "a tool, a real time-saver for us." The company flies out of the airport almost every day. For instance, a common destination is Syracuse, N.Y. "I can be out there in an hour and 15 minutes," Cochrane said. "If I drive, it's eight hours and commercially flying takes you six or seven hours."

So far, the investments the town has made in the airport haven't cost taxpayers much.

Town officials have been persistent in seeking state and federal grants to cover the cost of airport improvements. The town's yearly airport budget is $22,418, which pays for supplies, diesel, repairs, electricity, phones and other expenses.

BLB Flight, which sells light sport aircraft out of a hangar at the Pittsfield Community Airport, opened up at the airport because its owners, Ben and Linda Brown, were attracted to the airport's opportunities.

Perhaps most striking, Ben Brown said, is that the Pittsfield airport is doing fine amid economic troubles that have plagued many other small airports.

"I love the nice atmosphere of Pittsfield and the small town," Brown said.

Charlie Cianchette, a pilot and vice president of Cianbro's northern New England region, says the airport, with its upgraded facilities, has spawned the presence of many new businesses.

"It's an advantage over other towns when businesses are looking for locations," he said.

Under a master plan for the town airport, more facility improvements are planned in the coming years, including an expanded runway, new fencing and a gate, more hangars and, eventually, an airport restaurant. Ruth thinks that will be an ongoing effort because the airport is so important.

"It's a wonderful facility," Ruth said. "It has the opportunity to become a focal point in the region. The possibilities are endless at this point."

Scott Monroe, 487-3288, 861-9253

smonroe@centralmaine.com